Universal Pictures Acquires Daughter of Smoke & Bone

Universal Pictures announced today that it has acquired the worldwide rights to the young adult fantasy novel Daughter of Smoke & Bone written by National Book Award Finalist Laini Taylor. The book was published this September and is the first in a trilogy. Universal’s Co-Presidents of Production Peter Cramer and Jeff Kirschenbaum made the announcement.

Daughter of Smoke & Bone has been sold in over 25 countries so far to critical acclaim and has been one of the most well-received books of the year. Honors include an Amazon Top Ten Books of 2011, Amazon’s #1 Teen Book of 2011, a Publishers Weekly Best Books 2011, a Huffington Post Top 10 YA Book of 2011, and a New York Times Notable Children’s Books of 2011.

Since its release, Daughter of Smoke & Bone has been hailed with rave reviews across the board. A review from Entertainment Weekly said, “This smartly plotted, surprising, and fiercely compelling read will hook you from its opening pages.” The New York Times called it “A breath-catching romantic fantasy about destiny, hope and the search for ones true self that doesn’t let readers down.” And the Los Angeles Times noted, “It’s to Taylor’s great credit that evil incarnate and its love match in ‘Daughter of Smoke & Bone’ are such imaginative interpretations and that the worlds in which this romance unfolds are likewise so unique.”

At the news of the acquisition, Laini Taylor said, “My goal is always to write stories that readers will want to climb inside of and live in, and which  I hope  will allow them to just lose themselves in the page. It is a hugely thrilling prospect to think about Universal and filmmakers translating my world onscreen and giving it a second life in such a grand way. I’m over the moon.”

Jane Putch, Taylor’s manager and producing partner, said, “Taylor is a stunning visual writer, whose superbly developed characters shape a plot filled with intrigue, epic wars, love, betrayal and ‘teeth.’ I can’t wait to see her world on screen!”

Daughter of Smoke & Bone is published in the U.S. by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, a division of Hachette Book Group and in the UK by Hodder & Stoughton. The second book in the trilogy will be published in September 2012.